A Reason To Smile
by Rapis-Razuri
Summary: ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge. There's no need to fake anything if you have a genuine reason to be happy. The comings and goings of Lucina and Inigo. Chapter 15: "This was the place where we first met, wasn't it?"
1. Holding Hands

**Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
**Beta**: ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie  
**Prompt: **Holding Hands (from ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge on tumblr)  
**Word Count**: 1,095  
**Game**: _Awakening  
_**Characters/Pairings**: Inigo/Lucina, Henry/Olivia & Chrom/f!Robin for background  
**Notes**: My first _Awakening_ story. Since this takes place during the two's childhood (before Chrom died and everything went to hell), their personalities are quite different from what we see during the game.

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Inigo had never been inside a castle before which was why he decided to sneak away and explore when his parents weren't looking.

Now he regretted leaving his parents' sides as he was lost and had no idea how to find his way back. Unfortunately for him, his shyness prevented him from asking any of the soldiers or maids for help so the boy ended up walking in what seemed to be circles. Every corridor looked the same to him and there were simply too many turns to keep track of.

Eventually though, Inigo found himself at the training field. A training field that was currently empty, save for a single blue-haired girl close to his age – a blue-haired girl trying to lift a sword that was obviously too big and too heavy for her.

Finally, she gave up and left the sword lying where it was with a frustrated huff. She turned around and froze when she realized he was there. After a moment of just standing there and staring, she started to make her way towards him.

Almost reflexively, Inigo's cheeks reddened and he moved to hide behind a nearby pillar. The girl wasn't deterred by this as she came up to him anyway.

"Hello," she said, "I've never seen you around before. What's your name?"

"I-Inigo." the timid boy managed to stutter. Quietly. The girl frowned and leaned closer. Having never been so close to a girl who wasn't his mother before, Inigo shrunk back and pressed himself closer to the pillar, as if hoping he would just suddenly vanish into the marble like how a dryad from one of his mother's stories would into a tree.

"Sorry, what?"

"Inigo." he tried again.

"Inigo?" He nodded, glad he made himself heard. "I'm Lucina," the girl introduced herself. She looked around, almost cautiously. "Where are your parents?" He shook his head in response.

"I don't know," he replied, "I got lost."

"Oh...good," seeing his puzzled and slightly panicked expression (it was _good_ that he was lost?), she added, "I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be studying, but it was boring so I came here instead." Inigo only nodded to show he was listening.

"I'll help you find your parents if you promise not to tell." He nodded again. Lucina took his hand and pulled him along.

"Do you remember where you last saw them?"

"Well..."

Lucina knew her way around the castle well enough to work with the vague details he gave her. After several mishaps – like knocking over a bespectacled boy and making him drop the stack of books he was carrying ("Sorry, Laurent!"), attending a tea party ("Uh, okay Cynthia. We'll have anouther cup before we go."), and helping Lucina's cousin hide his father's sword in the pegasus stable for some reason ("Why is Aunt Lissa's name on it?") – Lucina asked Inigo about himself.

"Can you use a weapon yet?" Inigo shook his head. Olivia had promised to teach him how to wield a sword when he was bigger (which he was looking forward to) and Henry had _very_ enthusiastically announced that he will be teaching him everything he knew about identifying, casting, and removing curses shortly after (which he wasn't. Dark magic was scary).

"Can you?"

"A little," Lucina replied, "but its not enough. That's why I was in the training field today. I have to be strong so Falchion will pick me. Then I'll be able to protect everybody like Father."

"Why?"

"Not just anyone can use Falchion. Aunt Lissa can't." She looked down and kicked her feet. Inigo though she looked really sad, so he tried to think of something to say to make her happy again.

"I think it will pick you."

Lucina raised her head to look at him. "Really? You think so?"

"Uh-huh." It worked. She smiled. She was really pretty when she smiled, not that she wasn't pretty when she didn't but...Inigo's realized what exactly he was thinking and blushed to the roots of his silvery hair again. Oh well, at least she was happy again.

They finally managed to locate Inigo's parents, as well as a woman wearing a black and purple cloak. "That's my mother," Lucina explained quietly. Inigo had no idea why she suddenly became so nervous at the sight of her.

"Inigo!" Olivia cried with relief when she saw her son, clearly worried when she noticed he had disappeared.

"See, Henry," Lucina's mother said to the dark mage, "told you there was no need for a scouring spell." With her hands on her hips, she then turned from Henry to the girl his son was still holding hands with. "As for you, young lady..."

"Politics is boring!" Lucina burst out before she could speak further, "I want to be a Shepherd like Father!" The cloaked woman knelt down to her level and spoke in a voice that indicated that she was disappointed but not angry.

"I know sweetheart, but even your father had to attend his lessons too."

Inigo felt Lucina's grip on his hand – which must be getting clammy and sweaty and gross – tightening. Was she in trouble? Inigo had never truly gotten into trouble with his parents before and he didn't want Lucina to get into trouble after she helped him.

"Um..." he attempted to speak up, but nobody heard him.

"Promise not to skip anymore of your lessons?"

"Yes Mother," Lucina said, "I promise."

"Alright then," Robin said smiling and running a hand down her daughter's hair, "Why don't you go introduce your new friend to the others?"

"But he's already met everyone!" the young girl exclaimed, "except Brady and Noire because they were at the healer's and Maribelle said they were sick and if we saw them then we would also get sick." She stopped long enough to catch her breath, "And I can't find Morgan."

"I see." The tactician said, her eyes brimming with laughter, "I think Morgan is in the library. Why don't you go tell him to take a break?"

"Okay!" Lucina finally let go of Inigo's and ran off to find her younger brother. He stared after her and wondered if she will come back. He liked holding her hand.

Would she let him hold it again some other time?

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Review? Let me know what you think.


	2. Cuddling Somewhere

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: Cuddling Somewhere (ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge)  
******Word Count**: 820  
******Warnings**: Mood whiplash. _Awakening_ supports are surprisingly good at it.

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_Oh sweet almighty Naga..._

What was she doing in Inigo's tent, _in Inigo's bed_ (technically cot, for those who are splitting hairs), snuggled up at his side, and asleep?

At least they were both still fully clothed, which should, if anything, be a consolation, but Lucina didn't really care about that right now. What if someone noticed she didn't spend the night in her tent and then noticed her leaving his? What if they put two and two together and come to the obvious (and wrong) conclusion? What would people _think_? Especially with his reputation as a shameless womanizer.

Inigo was still asleep. If she left now, she could probably tell anyone that happened to see her that she was simply checking up on him after he had taken a hit for her in their last skirmish, which wasn't exactly a lie. Lucina quickly disentangled her limbs from his and managed to take all but two steps before–

"Leaving already?" Inigo was sitting up now, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Lucina briefly recalled the previous night's events. She was checking up on him as it was her fault he got hurt in the first place. Exhausted from the battle, she had decided to just close her eyes for a minute or two and then...

"Why didn't you wake me up last night?"

Inigo blinked a few times as he tried to remember. "Well...you were pretty tired so I figured you needed the rest." At least he had the decency to look slightly embarrassed, "Should I not have?"

She nodded. "I didn't mean to impose."

"You weren't imposing," he assured her, "and personally I think that was the best night of sleep I've had since..." His eyes darkened as he stopped mid-sentence, but Lucina was able to finish it because after the initial shock of finding herself literally sleeping with the man she recently developed feelings for, she had thought the same thing.

"...since Grima, right?" No nightmares, no waking up in the middle of the night screaming or in a cold sweat, no sleeping with one eye open out of fear that a horde of Risen were hiding in the shadows less than ten feet away, ready to attack at any moment. No nightmares of Grima, taunting her on her desperate attempts to save a doomed world. No visions where she lost everyone she loved in this time despite doing everything she could to keep them safe. Coming back in time added a new recurring nightmare to the ones she already had. In this new one, she still saw people running away in fear, but they were not running away from Risen because they were running away from _her_. Was it the same for Inigo? Looking into his eyes, she knew the answer was _yes_.

Still, he was right about one thing. For once, she actually had a full night of uninterrupted, dreamless sleep and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't thankful for that.

Inigo stood up and straightened his clothes the best he could. "On the bright side," he began with his usual cheerful disposition that didn't seem all that genuine to her anymore, "at least you're all rested up and ready for whatever today has in store for us." He turned to leave the tent, "you should probably wait a few minutes if you don't want to be seen."

"Inigo."

"Huh?"

"Um..." The truth was, she wanted to tell him now he felt, but there where so many things that could go wrong. Perhaps she worried that she would just become anouther conquest for him. There was the possibility that he didn't feel the same way. It would make things so awkward between them she was afraid it would damage what they already had. True, he annoyed her at times, but it didn't change the fact that he was one of her best friends. So instead of saying _I love you_, she said "thank you."

He cocked his head to one side, confused. "For what?"

"For always being there for me," she explained, suddenly feeling very shy especially since she was well aware of what that phrase really meant. "Just yesterday, it was my fault I didn't notice the archer and you got hurt protecting me because of my carelessness."

"Oh, that?" He was deliberately avoiding her gaze now. Was it her or the lighting because it looked as though he were blushing? "Don't worry about it, okay?"

"But still–"

"We better hurry up before Kjelle's father eats all the leftovers!" he interrupted, wildly changing the subject. He was _definitely_ blushing now. "you know how much it sucks to march on an empty stomach?" With that, he slipped outside.

Alone in his tent, Lucina found herself smiling despite her best efforts.

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	3. Gaming

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: Gaming/watching a movie (ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge)  
******Word Count**: 782  
******Notes**: Inspired by Inigo and m!Morgan's conversation in Hot-Springs Scramble.

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To say it was raining hard today would be an understatement. It was _pouring._ Someone looking out a window would barely be able to see anything. Chrom didn't want his army to march in unfamiliar territory in such unfavorable conditions, so the Shepherds were all about the fort, finding ways to pass time as they waited out the storm.

In the mess hall, two navy haired siblings were seated at one end of the dining table with a board game between them. The girl's brow was furrowed as she examined the pieces, trying to decide which was the best course of action. Finally she made her move. It was only when her brother's face broke into a wide grin did she realize she left her commander vulnerable to one of his wyvern riders.

"Check _and_ mate."

"You win again," Lucina sighed in defeat, "for the forth time in a row."

"Aww...cheer up!" Morgan replied, happily setting the pieces back to their original starting positions. "You're getting better!"

"That's encouraging to hear," she said, not bothered by her loss. They played this same strategy game back in their future. Morgan may not remember it, but she did. She knew his lack of memory bothered him more than he let on, so she decided to do what she can to help him remember. If not, then to make new memories. Playing a familiar game with him should help. "I really thought I had you that time."

"You did," Morgan informed her, seeing nothing wrong with telling her this now that the match was over, "if my paladin wasn't where it was at the time, I probably would've lost."

"Regardless, I think I will leave the tactics to you and Mother."

"I suppose that–" Morgan stopped to wave at someone behind Lucina, "hey Inigo!"

The mercenary who just entered the mess hall came over when his name was called. He really didn't need to ask any questions. The game board was between them with Lucina's commander knocked over told him all he needed to know. "Let me guess, Morgan won."

"He won alright," Lucina confirmed, "I'm no match for him, let alone our mother."

"Neither am I," Inigo laughed, "he destroyed me completely in our last game."

"You've played with Morgan before?" This was news to Lucina. Inigo didn't strike her as the tactical kind.

"Nine losses and no wins."

"Hey, why don't you two play each other?" Morgan piped up, "since neither of you can beat me maybe the two of you will be a better match up."

"Huh?"

"Yeah! It can't be fun losing all the time" Morgan said as he turned from one of the two older time-travelers to the other, "well, what do you say?" Lucina sighed. Sometimes, she found it much too difficult to say _no_ to her baby brother.

"Alright, then" she agreed, "I suppose one game can't hurt."

"If Lucina doesn't mind," the mercenary conceded. Though with a sly smirk, he added, "how about we make things a little more interesting with a wager?"

"Oh?" Morgan was genuinely surprised to hear the light teasing in the princess's voice, "and what conditions do you propose?"

"If I win, I get to take you out on a date."

"What?!" Morgan exclaimed. True, it was the expected suggestion from Inigo, but no brother, younger or older, liked seeing someone hit on his sister. He was hoping that Lucina would not agree to this.

"Alright."

"Lucina–?"

"But," ignoring her brother's outburst, Lucina gave Inigo a smirk of her own, "if _I_ win, I want you to perform one of your dances for me." Considering how quickly rumors and gossip traveled within the Shepherds' camp, Inigo's secret ambition wasn't exactly a secret anymore. However, that didn't change the fact that Inigo's typical reaction to someone watching him or even the _idea_ of someone watching him dance was utter mortification so it'll probably be unlikely that he will agree.

Again, Morgan was proven wrong.

"Challenge accepted."

"WHAT?"

The game began. Morgan scratched his head in confusion because he was pretty sure he was missing something. He mulled over the conversation that just occurred, the two recent behavior around each other, and the fact that, according to his mother, they've been fighting together on the battlefield. Actually, he recalled her saying they're been fighting together a lot _and_ very effectively at that.

Could it be that Inigo and his sister like each other?

...As in, LIKE like?

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	4. Gazing into each others' eyes

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: Gazing into each others' eyes (ericandy's 30 Day OTP challenge)  
******Word Count**: 735  
******Notes**: The prompts don't take place in chronological order. Also, the 4th prompt was actually "On A Date", but I kinda hit a roadblock with that, we'll skip forward to #25

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"I won't be long."

"Don't worry," he replied, "take as much time as you need."

Lucina gave him a grateful look and kissed his cheek before sprinting off to the nursery where her infant self was. She just barely turned the corner when somebody behind him spoke.

"Where is she going?"

Inigo jumped at the sound of the voice behind him and turned around to face Ylisse's newly named Exalt. "C-Chrom! Uh, sir! Milord?" He wasn't normally this formal, but this was _Chrom_, for gods' sake. He took the speech he was given by the blue-haired lord when he and Lucina revealed that they were together seriously. _Very_ seriously.

"'Chrom' will do," the Exalt said dryly, as if there was a private joke the other man wasn't aware of, "you are engaged to my daughter, after all."

"Um...right." Inigo said hesitantly, not sure what to make of Chrom's second comment, "you asked me a question?"

"Yes, I did," Chrom confirmed, "Where was Lucina going?"

"To say good bye and wish herself good luck."

"I see." Even though he didn't specifically father the older Lucina and that Morgan was not yet born in this time, he still considered both of them as his children. The two stood in some awkward silence before Chrom decided to speak up. "I confess, Inigo, I had my doubts about you," he began, "but I've seen how she acts around you. And you have been faithful to her since the two of you started courting." he added as an afterthought.

Inigo should've expected that, really. It still took a while for the others to realize that yes, he was really over that stage once he and Lucina confessed their feelings to each other. "Thanks, I guess?"

"My point is," Chrom continued, "you make her happy and from what I know, she doesn't have many happy memories from before reuniting with us, so, just keep making her happy. Do I make myself clear?"

"I.." Inigo was really at a loss for words now, but it was a happy and relieved sort-of feeling, rather than an _Oh-gods-he's-going-to-chop-me-to-bloody-bits_ sort-of-feeling, that caused his temporary muteness. "P-perfectly clear, milord!"

Chrom visibly relaxed at these words as well. "Good. I believe you."

Lucina returned just as the two men reached an understanding. She looked between her father and fiancee, trying to figure out what they were just talking about, before walking up to give the former a hug.

"We'll be going now, Father." she mumbled, "we'll keep an eye out for Mother while we're on the road." Chrom nodded. He still had baby Lucina, but he still felt like he was losing his entire family one by one. Robin had sacrificed herself to destroy Grima (even though he believed that she's still out there, somewhere, her absence left a hole within him that he can't quite forget about), both his sisters were in Ferox – Lissa accompanying Lon'qu and Emmeryn to lead the life of an ordinary woman – Flavia had promised him that she will keep an eye out for both, especially the latter – and now, both Lucina and Morgan had decided it would be best for them to leave the castle, for now. The pain of saying good-bye, even if it was only temporary, was lessened slightly as his sisters and children promised that they will keep in touch though letters.

"Stay safe and keep in touch," Chrom said. When he let go of Lucina, he cast Inigo a meaningful look and Inigo gave a respectful nod in return.

Lucina didn't ask what went on between the two of them until they were in the courtyard. "What were you and Father talking about?"

"Oh, nothing worth mentioning, I think" he answered with a small laugh. "What about you?"

"Hmm..." She was surveying the courtyard a wistful, nostalgic, expression and he wondered if she was having second thoughts about leaving. When she finally looked away, she reached out to put a hand on the back of his neck to press their foreheads together. "I told the me of this time that her future will be a bright one, but," she looked him straight in the eye when she said this. His heart leaped when he noticed that both her eyes and her lips were smiling. "I know my future will be as well."

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	5. On A Date

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: On A Date (ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge)  
******Word Count**: 1,167  
******Notes**: Packing for college and the like has really thrown me off my original "update every 2-3 days" plan. All well, what can I do about it? Nah's father is Donnel, if you must know.

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It took a while for him to convince her to take a break from her rigorous training schedule and spend a day with him in the nearby town and do some window shopping, have some tea, and the like.

Or at least that was the plan before Lucina noticed Morgan practically _skipping_ along the road hand in hand with Nah. It was a nice day, so it would be natural that many of the Shepherds were out and about, spending some time in town instead of spending the whole day back at camp.

"Remind me again why we're stalking Morgan and Nah on their date during _our_ date?" Inigo asked as they watched the tactician and the manakete enter a bookstore from an table in a tea shop across the road. They managed to get the table right next to the window with a flower box so they had a perfect view of the bookstore entrance.

"It's not that I don't like Nah," Lucina murmured with furrowed brows. "I'm just _worried_..."

Inigo sighed. Lucina was fiercely protective of Morgan, even more so than before. He could understand why she would be though. The young tactician had vanished sometime in their future and been presumed dead (or worse, but that was a possibility nobody wanted to talk about) by all of them, which was why Lucina never mentioned him to her parents, until the Shepherds found him completely by chance in the Ruins of Time remembering nothing but vague memories of his mother. This was like a second chance for her; a chance to keep her brother safe when she couldn't before.

Still, it didn't really explain why she needed to watch him like a hawk on his first date though.

An elderly man, probably the store owner, stepped outside the bookstore to take a look around before returning indoors.

"Did I ever tell you that Nah used to have a crush on me?" Inigo suddenly asked, completely out of the blue.

Lucina nearly choked on her tea, completely caught off guard by this sudden revelation. "_What_?! When?!"

"Oh don't worry," he added hastily, "that was a while ago. She never brought it up since."

She sighed. While she had accepted the fact that she wasn't the first girl Inigo kissed before, she still could not stop grimacing when hearing tales of his past love life. She did _not_ feel like introducing every other girl he's ever looked at (or vice versa) to Falchion, _thank you very much_. "I could've lived without that knowledge, you know."

"Sorry," Inigo said, grinning, "I guess seeing her and Morgan enjoy themselves so much made me think about it. I'm just glad she's over that. I didn't really know how to turn her down seeing as I've been in love with you for so long. I've always seen her as more of a little sister despite being the same age as me, you know? Morgan's a good kid, even if he's a bit spacey...uh, no offense." He noticed Lucina's expression had changed from exasperated annoyance to a knowing smile. "What?" he asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. He wasn't used to such positive attention from girls, after all.

"You know, Inigo," she began, still smiling in a way that made him think she knew something he didn't, "you do have a heart in the right place. Maybe you would have had more luck with girls if you tried being less leery and more...you."

"You think so?"

"I think so," she mused, "but I would rather not know whether I'm right or not."

"Why?" Inigo finally managed to tease back, "so you can have me all to yourself since every other girl have been turning me down?"

She blushed and looked away. "Is it that obvious?"

Inigo reached across the table and placed a hand on her cheek so she was looking back at him. "Well, lay your worries to rest Lucina, because that's all in the past. I promise I'm your's forever."

Lucina grabbed his wrist and entwined their fingers together. "And I your's," she murmured.

There was a sound that sounded a lot like somebody gagging from outside the window. The noise snapped both of them out of the little world that consisted of only the two them.

"Have you noticed they're taking a really long time in there? Morgan must've found a book he really liked."

"Now that you mention it..."

Inigo and Lucina both turned to the window, noticing a bit of purple hair sticking out among the flowers that wasn't there before.

"Nah? Morgan?" Inigo called, "you can come out now. We know you're there."

The two spying on them appeared at the window, annoyed and embarrassed that they were caught so soon.

"Drats," Morgan groaned, "and here I was thinking that I was so clever for turning the tables so _we_ were spying on _you_."

"You guys are kind of bad at this date stalking thing," Nah added bluntly. She's always been touchy about people treating her like a child despite being an adult in human years; If she heard Inigo saying she was like a little sister too him, she was either not bother by it or was simply doing a good job at not showing that she was bothered by it. "The first time I smelled you? Thought it was nothing. The second time? Probably a coincidence. The third? I figured something was up."

"Apparently so," Lucina laughed. Perhaps she should be more annoyed at them for interrupting her and Inigo's moment, but then again, they had more or less spent the morning following them, so this was probably karma. "Now, are you two going to stay out there or do you want to come in for some cake?"

"Really? Cake? Oh, yay!" Morgan vanished from the window, dragging Nah along with him by the hand, soon followed by the ringing of a bell as the door to the teashop was opened.

The four of them ended up spending the remainder of the day together. While returning to camp, Lucina and Inigo fell back behind Morgan and Nah, fingers still entwined. She had her head casually leaned on his shoulder and his on top of her's as they walked.

"Sorry about making you follow my brother around with me on our first date," Lucina said quietly enough so the two ahead of them wouldn't hear.

"Don't be. It was enough, just spending time together," Inigo sighed with a smile, "once we destroy that damned fell dragon for good, we'll have all the time in the world to go on dates."

She silently agreed. Originally, she just wanted to save the future, but once that goal has been seen too, she had no other plans. Now, she had a future of her own to look forward to and fight for.

"And we'll defeat that damned fell dragon together."

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	6. Shopping

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: Shopping (ericandy's 30 Day OTP challenge)  
******Word Count**: 1,008  
******Notes**: Skipping around, again.I don't know anything about Valentia or _Gaiden_, so the tradition of charm exchanging was totally made up. The idea itself was inspired by Disneyland pin trading (no, really). Also, kudos to anyone who gets the reference the Ylissian iris makes.

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Yen'fey has been defeated and the dynasts were in complete disarray. All that was left for the Shepherds to do was the defeat the Conquer Walhart himself, though it would be no easy task. To prepare for the upcoming battle, Robin had sent Inigo and Lucina to restock the army's supply of weapons and supplies (while muttering something about being worried that Laurent and Severa might kill each other over fruit). To speed things along, the two had separated when they first arrived at the town, Lucina to purchase staves and Inigo to restock their medical supplies like curative potions and bandages.

As Lucina spoke to the smith about his supply of steel weapons, Inigo noticed an old man sitting in a corner by the window wordlessly working on something. Curiosity sparked, he cast a quick look over at Lucina. She seemed to be handing things well, so he strode over to the man. The old man smiled warmly at him and Inigo saw that upon the table lay several metal charms of a variety of shapes. However, only one managed to catch his eye. The butterfly shaped charm brought forth the memory of a warm summer day.

"_It might not ever get to fly you know."_

"_What?! Why?"_

"_It has to let it's wings dry first, so right now it's just a sitting duck. Anything can fly by and CHOMP. No more butterfly!"_

"_That's horrible!"_

"_That's just how things are in nature."_

"_..."_

"Can I help you with something, lad?"

"Oh!" The old man's voice brought him back from the woods where he, his father and Lucina witnessed the sight of a blue butterfly emerging from its cocoon. He and Lucina had spent the afternoon guarding the small creature from predators with the wooden sticks they called swords. Owain would have joined them if Lon'qu hadn't taken him back into the castle so Lissa could mend the bloody gash he got on his leg. "Uh, no. Not really. I'm just taking a look."

"Good, good. These charms are a tradition around here. Almost every shop here sells them," the old man explained to Inigo, recognizing him as a foreigner. "Back in Valm's founding years, many of the young men had to leave home to fight. Their families would give them a charm like this to keep on their swords as a memento and a good luck charm. To this day, it is still believed that a charm given to you by someone close to you attached to your weapon will bring you good fortune."

His eyes briefly darted towards the blue-haired princess examining the blade of a sword. "Perhaps you should buy one for your lass," he suggested.

Inigo's felt his face ignite and would've protested that Lucina wasn't "his lass" if it weren't for the fact that she would definitely overhear. The charm-seller chuckled understandingly and Inigo picked up the metal butterfly to distract himself.

The charm was beautifully made, he had to admit. He could see the detail put into the patterns on its wings. Despite looking fragile, it felt durable in his hands. Someone like Laurent or Gerome will simply dismiss the charm's luck-bringing as mere superstition, but Inigo could see the appeal of it.

There is no doubt among the Shepherds that Walhart was a fearsome opponent. Furthermore, Lucina still blamed herself for Basilio's death. Should he buy this one as a gift for her to hopefully bring her out of the quiet depression she was in since Flavia returned with the news and Gules? She always did have an affiliation for butterflies since that day. "Okay. How much is this one?"

The charm seller named a reasonable price and Inigo handed over the gold. He managed to slip the charm into a pocket just as Lucina thanked the smith for the weapons she purchased. Inigo went over to help her with the load.

When they deposited the weapons in the convey, Inigo closed a fist around the butterfly charm.

"Lucina, wait."

She turned to face him questioningly.

"What is it?"

"I haven't seen you smiling recently."

Fire briefly flashed in her eyes before it was replaced with sorrow. "I know I promised, Inigo, but Basilio..."

The news had shaken him as well. After all, Basilio was like a father to Olivia, so the khan was like a grandfather to him. Inigo walked forward until he was close enough to take her wrist. He turned her palm face up and placed the charm in her hand. "It's not your fault," he assured her, but he had a feeling that she would still blame herself regardless of what he or anyone else said. "I saw this while you were speaking to the weapons smith and thought this might cheer you up, even if just a little."

When she recognized what he placed in her hand, a small smile (the same one that always made his heart pound in his chest) slowly appeared on her face. "Thank you." she murmured. As if suddenly inspired, she reached into the small pack at her side and pulled out a similar charm and handed it to him. "I actually bought this for Father while looking at the staves," she admitted, "but I want you to have it now."

Inigo knew it was a flower at once. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a Ylissian iris, the flower that represented hope and perseverance due to being able to survive in environments too harsh or deficient for other plants. In their future, the sight of one always lifted his spirits, no matter how briefly. "I'll take good care of it." he promised. He knew he was going to attach it to the pommel of his sword, thanks to the old man''s story. Did the person who sold Lucina the iris also tell her the significance of these charms?

He got his answer the following day when he saw a butterfly dangling on the end of Falchion's hilt.

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	7. In battle, side by side

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: In battle, side-by-side  
******Word Count**: 490  
******Notes**: Still skipping around. Anyway, sorry! I know this is a lot shorter than what you would probably expect from this drabble collection, but I had really meant to only capture a brief moment.

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A side trip north of Valm Harbor ended with them at the Great Gate. The villages nearby were beset by Grimleal bandits so the Shepherds offered their assistance.

Lucina had just defeated one bandit when another had decided to sneak up on her, hoping to defeat her before she could recover. Before he could get close enough to do so, he was impaled from behind. He cursed and glared down at the killing edge protruding from his stomach. His killer withdrew the sword and the bandit collapsed on the ground revealing to Lucina her rescuer.

Relief and happiness flooded though her as she recognized him as another one of the children who jumped back in time with her.

"Inigo!"

"Hey there Princess," he greeted her as casually as if they had met up again in a tea shop rather than in the middle of a battle, "Nice to see you're no longer wearing that mask. A face that pretty _really_ shouldn't be hidden from the world."

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation. It was so typical of Inigo to flirt with her, or any of their other female comrades, she was sure, as soon as he saw her. "I'm glad you haven't changed."

However, as she looked him up and down, she noticed that it wasn't completely true. He _had_ changed; physically, at least. He seemed to have grown a couple inches when they had been close to the same height the last time she saw him. His hair and clothes were neater and his complexion made him appear healthier than before. She supposed that was to be expected. After all, she's found that she had more time to take care of herself in this time as well.

"Have you seen Olivia?"

Inigo nodded and made a gesture towards the general direction where the dancer held off a pegasus knight with her sword as her husband prepared a spell to blast the enemy out of the sky. "I haven't told her the truth about me yet. I think I'll wait until after the battle is over to let her know."

Before Lucina could reply, another pair of bandits appeared to engage them with their weapons drawn. They both turned around, falling into the familiar routine of standing shoulder to shoulder so they faced their foes with their backs against each other as if they had never been separated at all. Regardless of what or how frivolous his pursuits were when off the battlefield, she knew she could trust him when on it.

"I have to admit," Lucina heard him say with a chuckle, "I missed fighting together with you like this."

She smiled despite herself. Yes, those first nights were so lonely, knowing her parents were so close and yet knowing that she had to stay away and having no idea where the others were. "So did I, Inigo, so did I."

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	8. Kissing

******Author**: Rapiz-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: Kissing  
******Word Count**: 1,567  
******Notes**: If you make out with an alternate universe version of your husband/boyfriend, does that count as adultery? Anyway, I was kinda-sorta inspired by eevee248's _Identities_. Hope s/he doesn't mind. So...the last chapter was shorter than the usual and this one is a bit longer...guess that evens things out.

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Lucina shivered. The last time they were in this world, they had been inside a building being smothered by smoke and fire. Now, they were standing out in the open during a heavy rainfall. For once, she wished that the fighting would just start so she could get herself warmed up.

Beside her, Inigo was looking around the valley. "I remember this place," he muttered quietly, "I passed though this place on our way back from Plegia. Except..."

"What?" she asked softly.

"Naga said we...they – whatever_ – _were overwhelmed and killed by Risen, right?" Lucina swallowed and nodded. Just the _thought_ of any version of him dying was unbearable. "There weren't any Risen in our time. Not enough to pose a threat, anyway..."

"Everything just seems to be a lot worse in this world." She remembered speaking with Cynthia about the differences between events after the first visit.

"Yes, but–"

"There!" Panne shouted from above on a wyvern, catching everyone's attention. She was pointing towards four figures that appeared on the other side of the valley. Lucina squinted. She was no taguel and the rain was making it hard to see, but she managed to identify the figures as this world's Inigo, Owain, Brady and Yarne. A second later, an army of undead appeared from behind.

The Shepherds watched tensely as Brady and Yarne crossed the drawbridge while the former two held off their pursuers. When they were safely across, Yarne checked their surroundings with his sharp taguel senses. Brady shouted something to the two behind. In response, Owain turned to Inigo and began speaking urgently.

"Why aren't they crossing?" Lissa asked, anxiously watching her son. As if to answer her question, Other Inigo cut the bridge separating him and Owain from their two companions with a swipe of his sword, effectively trapping the two with the Risen on that side.

Olivia and Lissa let out nearly identical shrieks of fear. Henry and Lon'qu's expressions darkened.

Lucina whirled around the face the Inigo standing with her among the Shepherds, eyes wide, hoping he might be able to shed some light on his counterpart's actions.

"He must pretty desperate," was all he said.

Realizing that it was only a matter of seconds before Henry and Lon'qu would break formation and rush forward to rescue their sons, no doubt closely followed by Olivia and Lissa, Robin began shouting out orders.

"Lucina," her mother had turned to her at last. She had sent Inigo off with Owain on his wyvern earlier. "I want you to join the group defending this world's Inigo and Owain. I'll take you there on my pegasus. Unless you want to stay on this side? Then I'll take Morgan with me."

"I..." _Unable to stave off their pursuers...overwhelmed and killed_.

_This_ wasn't the Inigo that traveled back in time with her. _This_ wasn't the Inigo that could make her smile in spite of everything going on. _This_ wasn't the Inigo she had fallen in love with, but she cannot deny that she wanted to see him safely home. If not for him, then for her similitude here. She's lost enough; she didn't need to lose another. "I'll go, Mother. Thank you."

Robin dropped Lucina off close to where Other Inigo and Other Owain were fighting. She didn't actually plan to speak with Other Inigo as she simply wanted to be close enough to watch his back, but unfortunately, fate had other plans.

"Lucina?"

She flinched at the confused, and slightly weary, sound of her name and knew she had been discovered. What was she supposed to say to him?

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, "why are't you back in Ylisstol? What if something happened to you?"

"No," she had to explain. She almost cringed again when she took in his appearance. Gods...he looked as though he's gone through hell and back and not quite out yet. Seeing all those cuts and scratches on him and knowing there's bound to be more, she quietly prayed to Naga that someone – Aunt Lissa, Maribelle, her mother – will get around to healing him soon. "I'm not the Lucina you know. I came from another world with Naga's power."

"Another world?" he repeated, flabbergasted. She couldn't blame him. If their situations were reversed, she would probably react the same way.

"Yes." There was one thing she had to know. "I saw you cut down the bridge. _What the blazes were you thinking?!_" She hadn't meant to yell, but she couldn't help it.

"Brady has the gemstones," he replied, still in that weary and defeated tone that sounded unreal to her ears. "It would've taken Owain and me too long to cross if we both went. Owain wanted to fight and I couldn't just leave him to die alone here could I?"

"Inigo..."

"Still...I'm glad you're here," Other Inigo said at last with the weak smile that didn't reach his eyes. "There's something I have to let you know..."

"What is it?" she asked tentatively.

He exhaled deeply and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her straight into the eye. "Lucina...I love you."

She was rather taken aback by this sudden confession, but she stayed silent because he wasn't done.

"I always have. I never had the courage to say it. How can I when I will likely never be worthy of you? You're the princess of Ylisse, and I'm...I'm just the son of a Feroxi dancer. All those other girls? Useless attempts to forget about you." A weak, bitter laugh escaped his throat. "But I'd do anything for you Lucina, that's why I want this mission to succeed no matter what. If it means that I have to sacrifice myself so Argent and Sable can reach you, then so be it!" He paused to catch his breath after this passionate deceleration.

A stabbing pain in her gut reminded her that without their interference, his sacrifice would've been meaningless.

When he opened his mouth to speak again, his voice was much more subdued. "Even so...I didn't want to die without ever telling you. Even if you aren't actually...her."

He's given up. He's accepted death. She had no idea what made her do what she did next. A part of her mind told her that it was completely improper, completely stupid, and may very well completely complicate things for Other Inigo and Other Lucina once this world was saved (because dammit, they were going to save it).

She kissed him.

Neither long nor deep, but it was still a kiss. When she pulled back, he stood frozen with shock. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

He didn't say anything, so she just kept talking. "Look, I know I can't speak for the Lucina of this world because we're not the same person, but I'm certain that she cares for you." She thought back to her own experience of waiting in Ylisse castle for the others to return with the emblem and gemstones.

"I know she must be thinking of you, all of you, wondering if she made the right decision to send you on this mission, afraid that she had sent you all to your deaths. Brady and Yarne _will_ get the gemstones to Ylisse, I can promise you that. I'm not the only one Naga summoned." She was certain her words were the truth. Inigo and Owain's parents weren't the only ones who were protective of any world's version of their children. "None of you will die today if my friends and I have anything to say about it. If I have to personally escort you and the others back to this world's Lucina, I will. So please... don't make her grieve for another loved one."

"And, um...here," she shoved an elixir into his hands. "You said you would do anything for me, right? All I have to ask of you is to stay alive."

"Lucina..." The pink tinge on his cheeks was darker. "I...that kiss...everything you said," Other Inigo struggled to find words. "Well, I guess now I have no choice but to survive this."

He was smiling for real now. A small one was all that he could muster at the moment, but it was enough for her. She knew she succeeded in convincing him to hang on to hope. There's no way he would give up now. "Thank you, Lucina, but you be careful too. If there's another Inigo from where you came from, I'm sure he wouldn't want to lose you either."

With that, he entered the fray again.

Just as one Inigo vanished, another appeared. The Inigo from her world's gaze was following the direction where his doppelganger had headed.

"I have no idea what you said to him, but whatever it was, it worked. He's fighting even harder now."

"I kissed him." She said flatly, still a tad dazed from her conversation with the other Inigo.

Inigo stared.

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not."

To her surprise, Inigo snorted with laughter. "I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be jealous of _myself_...haha...how did I –he react?"

Lucina shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "I...I'll tell you the details later. Come on, these Risen aren't going to kill themselves, you know."

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I'm not really certain about the ending. Let me know what you think?

Edit 8/26/13 (Happy birthday Fredrick!)


	9. Dancing

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: Dancing  
******Word Count**: 1,311**  
********Notes**: Okay so...the last chapter was kinda loaded. Here's some fluff for a change. In case you haven't really picked it up, I am writing under the assumption that there's _some_ truth to Inigo's claim that he's been in love with Lucina since "the moment they met."

While here's probably...okay, there's DEFINATELY some astronomy fail on my part, but the constellation Cygnus/the swan being referenced to as a heron is _not_ a mistake. All for the sake of FE9/10 references, yay.

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Inigo couldn't sleep.

As he lay staring up at the roof of his tent, he couldn't help but muse at the irony of it. When he first landed in this time, it was his uncertainty and anxiety that kept him awake at night. He had thought that it would get better for him once he found Olivia and Henry, but nope, he was still plagued with insomnia. Perhaps it was just that he had joined the Shepherds just in time for the Conquest of Valm. War meant more fighting and more fighting meant...

Then again, nobody was foolish enough to think that changing the future would be easy.

Sighing, he got out of the cot. Since he couldn't sleep, maybe he'll go out and find a clearing where he could practice some dance steps. He did always want to show Olivia the second half of her favorite dance to him and now, if he could _just_ finish it, he definitely could.

He picked up his sword since he never went anywhere without it and stepped out of the tent just in time to see someone else leave camp.

Lucina. Where was she going in the middle of the night?

Concerned for the princess, Inigo abandoned his original plan and followed her. She wasn't heading to where Sully and Kjelle had set up the practice dummies to practice her swordplay, as he had first thought, but rather to a nearby hill. She sat down on the grass, leaning back with her hands behind her, gazing up at the heavens.

Stargazing? Inigo leaned back to look at the night sky. It _does_ look much clearer than in the future once he thought about it. He took a step to get a better view of the sky since he was still in the shade of the trees and stepped on a branch. Lucina immediately got into a fighting stance at the sound. Inigo supposed that kind of instinct was something they will never part with.

"Who's there?" she demanded, a hand on Falchion's hilt. Inigo stepped out from his hiding place. "Inigo? What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep," he replied with a shrug, "I saw you leaving camp and decided to follow you." Worried that this might make him sound like a stalker, he quickly added, "its not safe to be wandering around at night by yourself."

"Then what were you going to do before you saw me?"

"I thought I'd...practice for a bit."

She arced an eyebrow. "By yourself?"

"Touche," he sighed, "I told you what I was up to. What about you?"

"I...couldn't really sleep either," Lucina confessed, "so I decided to come out and look at the stars."

Simply wanting a reason to spend time with her rather than actually wanting to look at the stars, he asked "may I join you?"

"Of course." Lucina lay down on her back again. Inigo followed her lead. He didn't know much about the patterns the stars formed so they simply looked like scattered dots of light to him.

"So...which constellations can you see tonight?"

"Hmm..." She was silent for a moment as the surveyed the sky. Then she pointed upwards. "There's the heron."

Inigo tried looking at where she was pointing. "I don't see it."

"Here, come closer." She scooted over so the two of them were each occupying half of where she had been lying before. "Those three stars are the body..." she pointed up again, tracing a path for him to follow. "And those four stars, two on each side, are the wings."

Admittedly, being so close to her made it hard to concentrate, but Inigo looked again. He tried imagining the bird with its its wings spread in flight...

"Can you see it now?"

_There!_ "Yes!" Inigo grinned, "yes, I see it." As happy as he was to be able to see it, the specific constellation reminded him of something. "Mother used to sing this song about a heron princess before she...you know."

"Really?" she asked softly, knowing how difficult it was for him to talk about his parents' deaths. She turned her body so she was facing him. "Do you think you can you tell me?"

"It's not a happy tale."

A beat.

"I still want to hear."

"Alright, alright,"

Some of the finer details were lost to him, but he remembered enough to tell a coherent story. Lucina was an attentive listener. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't like the feeling of having her eyes on him and him alone.

"So in the end, she was reunited with her love, but her home was destroyed."

"Told you it wasn't a happy story."

"Did the forest ever recover?"

Inigo blinked, "I...never actually thought of that before. It was just how Mother told it to me, so I always assumed it ended like that."

Lucina sighed and rolled onto her back again. "There's an old Tellius myth that goes like the song where a forest destroyed by a fire was restored through a galdr sung by a pair of herons."

"That may be what the ballad was based upon. The forest's destruction that is," Inigo admitted, "but both the song and the dance choreography ends with the princess staring sadly at the moon."

There was some silence before Lucina proposed, "well...why don't you add in the rebuilding yourself?"

"...What?"

"Why don't you write another act with the kingdom restored yourself?" she explained, "I mean...you do dance, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Inigo said absently. However, he sat up when he realized what he just agreed to. "Wait, how do you know that I dance?"

"Before all this, I saw you one day," Lucina admitted, sitting up as well, nervously ruffling her hair. "Near Southtown, after...after we failed to save the weaver and his family...I think. You were so...amazing."

He was grateful that it was dark enough to hide the fact that her compliment had turned him beet red. "I don't think I'm amazing enough to overwrite the ending for a routine that's been around for years." Even as he said this, her words had lit a spark of inspiration in him.

"Is that so?" she sounded genuinely disappointed. "I thought you of all people would be capable of changing a bittersweet ending into a happy one. After all, isn't that what we're here for?"

"Hmm...when you put it that way," Inigo jumped to his feet. He turned to face the princess with a hand outstretched and the other behind him with a little bow. "May I have this dance milady?"

"What?" Lucina exclaimed, flustered. "You can't possibly–!"

"Hey, this was your idea, Luce. You can't back out now."

"I can't dance."

"Have you ever tried?" he rebutted. She shook her head. "look at it this way: my mother learned how to fight by applying what she knew about dancing into swordplay. Why not try the inverse?"

"Apply what I know about sword fighting to dancing?"

"Right."

"But...why me?"

_Because I love you,_ he wanted to say, but now was not the time. Like the heron princess in the story, Lucina would never be truly happy with him, or anyone, unless she completed her mission. His feelings for her were strong enough for him to want her to be happy first and foremost. "Because I don't see any other lovely ladies around. Do you?"

Lucina sighed deeply and buried her face in her hands. "You're not going to change your mind are you?"

"Nope."

She lifted her head and, admitting defeat, took his extended hand. With a broad grin, he pulled her to her feet.

"I guess I can humor you. Just this once."

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	10. With Animal Ears

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: Wearing Animal Ears  
******Word Count**: 1,514  
**Notes**: Here's the first of the four oddity prompts (the other three being "Cosplay", "Wearing kigurumis", and "Genderswapped") and I'm not proud of this one _at all_. Also, a thousand pardons if the other characters are OOC...

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Lucina didn't know why she was standing outside his tent.

...Well, okay, she did, but she was still trying to figuring out what to do.

_I shouldn't have lost my temper with Inigo. He works on my nerves sometimes, but I know he means well. I _should_ go apologize...I actually kind of miss having him badger me about my smile..._

Steeling her resolve, she called out, "Um...Inigo? Are you in there?"

"Lucina?! Is that you?"

"I was just wondering if we can talk for a moment."

There was a bit of fumbling from inside. "For a moment? Oh sure. Um...you can come in. I think. Just...uh, mind the mess."

Frowning, Lucina did so. As soon as she entered she noticed there was definitely something fishy going on. Then there were several plants and other random items lying on the cot with an open book and a few sheets of loose paper and Inigo had his hands over his ears.

"Why are you covering your ears?" she asked, rather concerned for him.

"It's...just a little, uh discomfort." Inigo laughed nervously, "It'll go away soon and I can hear you just fine. What did you want to talk about?"

Torn between wanting to drag him off to Aunt Lissa to treat this "discomfort" and wanting to apologize to him as she intended, she was spared the need to make a choice because she caught sight of something very interesting behind the mercenary. Something that was admittedly much more troubling than an apology or a bit of discomfort.

"Is that a _tail_?"

"Huh?" Confused, Inigo turned around to look behind him. "Oh gods, I have a tail!" He removed his hands from his head, revealing to Lucina why he was covering them. Instead of having regular human ears he had a pair of triangular, white cat ears.

Stunned, Lucina looked at the objects on the cot again and the realization dawned on her. "What kind of hex where you trying to cast?" she groaned, completely forgetting what she had originally came to his tent for. "No, wait. _Why_ were you even trying to cast a hex in the first place?"

"Dad said something about what a shame it was for me to have so much potential in cursing and not use it. I just...wanted to impress him, I guess." Sighing, he placed his hands back over his ears, his tail waving around behind him.

"Shall I go find your father?" Lucina asked. While she didn't want to spoil his surprise by getting Henry, she didn't trust the _other_ curse practicer in camp. Tharja would like nothing better than to place every malign curse known to mankind on Lucina and her brother.

"You will?" The relief in those two words were evident,"thanks. I owe you one." Just as he said this, there was a _pop_ and in the place where the mercenary had stood was pile of clothes and something small moving around in circles underneath.

"Meow?"

Lucina wanted to smack herself. Things have apparently gotten a little more troublesome.

"On second thought," She picked up the fluffy white kitten that had crawled out from under the pile of clothes, "I think I'll just take you to him."

She was just about to leave the tent before she thought of something important. She doubled back to toss Inigo's clothing into a rucksack that she swung over her shoulder.

She took a looks outside the tent flap to make sure the cost was clear. Seeing that it was, she took a step outside and...

"Lucy, hey Lucy!"

Things really didn't seem to be going well for her (or Inigo) today. Cynthia had excitedly bounded over to her.

"Hello Cynthia."

"Finally I found you!" the young pegasus knight said, "so I was thinking about a new pose you could try out, you know, to raise morale and all that, and–" She stopped mid-rant when she noticed the rather sullen looking kitten in the princess's arms. "Aww! How cute!" she cooed, flattening his ears as she rubbed his head. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Um...boy."

In a flash, Inigo was snatched out of Lucina's hands. "Where did you find him?" Cynthia asked, holding kitten-Inigo in one arm while petting him with the other.

"Well...you see..."

"Cynthia, Lucina!"

Lucina groaned inwardly. A lone Cynthia was one thing, but shaking off Cynthia, Severa _and_ Kjelle? That would be much more challenging.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"Are either of you up for a spar? The rest of these idiots are too soft."

"Well...I'd love to, Kjelle," Lucina said hurriedly, "but I'm kind of busy right now..."

"What's that?" Severa asked, catching sight of Inigo. Cynthia held the kitten that was actually Inigo out to the newcomers.

"A cat Lucy found. Isn't he cute?"

Kjelle took one look and immediately dismissed him. She was never really into cute things. "...If you think so."

"He's not rabid, is he?" Severa asked distastefully despite doing a terrible job at hiding how much she _did_ think so.

"_No_."

"Oh, well..." Severa reached out to stroke Inigo between his ears. "I guess he is pretty cute."

"What are you guys doing? Huddled together like that."

Oh lovely. Noire and Nah had decided to join them now.

"Lucina found a kitty!" Cynthia explained again.

Inigo began to squirm under Nah and Noire's gazes. Nah was a manakete and Noire was no stranger to curses. Would either of them recognize that it was actually him under one? His fears proved to be baseless and the archer and half-human manakete began to _aww_ over him with Cynthia.

For once, he had girls fawning over him and he couldn't even enjoy it properly because he was being treated like a pet. _Now_ he knows why Yarne hates it so much when people touch his ears. He liked it better when it was just Lucina.

"What are you going to do with him?" Noire asked, "Mother said she was going to teach me how to skin a cat without curses, so you know...if you aren't going to keep him, can I?"

Upon hearing this, sheer horror flooded over both Lucina and Inigo. Inigo began struggling against Cynthia, clawing the pegasus knight in his panic, desperate to get as far away from Noire as possible. Lucina reached out to take Inigo back from Cynthia and held him close to her chest rather protectively. "_No one_ is going to skin him, Noire. I was going to take him to Henry and...find out where his mother is so I can take him home...yes, that's it Have you seen him? Henry, that is."

"Really now?" Nah glared up at her. "You're a terrible liar, Lucina. What are you _really_ up to?"

Seeing there was no point in telling anything but the truth with Nah and her intent detecting nose around, Lucina conceded. "This is actually Inigo. I don't know what happened, but...a curse turned him into a cat."

There was silence as the other five girls processed this information. Inigo flattened his ears, knowing he will never be able to live this down.

"Inigo? ...Curse? _Inigo_?" Lucina wasn't quite sure whether the disbelief in their voices came from the fact that Noire had just considered skinning one of their friends with Tharja _or_ that Inigo somehow managed to turned himself into a cat _or_ that they had shamelessly gushed over the the most notorious womanizer in camp. Even if said womanizer was in the form of a fluffy kitten at the time.

"That's I was looking for Henry," Lucina explained, "So, you know...we can fix this."

"Are you sure?" Nah asked jokingly, "I kind of like him better in this form. He's less flirty this way."

Kjelle failed to stifle her agreeing laughter.

Rolling her eyes, Lucina replied, "we're at war here and we need all the fighters we can get. Do any of you know where Henry might be?"

"Um..." Noire spoke up timidly, "I saw him dragging a Risen corpse out into the forest..."

"That's disgusting," Severa said flatly. "Are you sure you even need him?"

"What do you mean?" Lucina asked, puzzled, "are you saying I should take him to Tharja? You know she hates me."

"No," Cynthia replied with a teasing smirk, "I think Severa's saying all Inigo might need is a kiss from a princess." Severa shot the other twin-tailed red-head a glare.

Lucina blushed and spluttered, "W-what? T-that's completely absurd! And it's only in fairy tales! There's no way it would work for real!" Inigo wished she could at least give it a try anyway. "No, I'm going to find Henry." Embarrassed, she thanked Noire before running off with her face red.

The five girls stayed where they were for a moment longer.

"...She likes him doesn't she?"

Four affirmative murmurs followed Cynthia's question.

"I don't know what she sees in him."

"The princess and the philanderer. How cute."

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Edit 8/31/2013


	11. Spooning

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: Spooning  
******Word Count**: 1,140  
**Notes**: I just realized how inspiring event tile quotes can be. I hope you enjoyed the last couple chapters worth of fluff and giggles because things are about to get heavy again.

More importantly, college starts for me day after tomorrow so updates will be significantly less frequent.

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The malice in the air and overwhelming presence despair was what alerted him to Grima's presence long before the dragon made itself known though its roar.

Inigo was sprinting though a suspiciously empty corridor in Ylisstol Castle, searching for the rest of his friends, when Grima tore down the exterior wall. Staggering into the opposite wall, he tightened his grip on his sword as he tried to steady himself as Grima stared down at him. He knew he couldn't face the fell dragon head on and expect to live to tell the tale, but he would rather die with a weapon in hand than simply lying down and accepting defeat.

"Grima!" Lucina suddenly appeared from the opposite side of the hallway, Falchion drawn and pointed at the dragon. "Leave him be! _I'm_ the one you want aren't I? Well, here I am!"

What was she _doing_? She was the the last of Ylisse's royal family, the last wielder of Falchion and the only person who could perform the Awakening. How could they save this world if she was lost?

Grima shifted its deliberation from the mercenary and onto the princess. "_Just like your halfwit of a father,_" it spoke in a voice that sent chills down Inigo's spine. He's never heard the dragon speak before, never considered the possibility, and found it much more abominable than its roars due to the fact that it sounded almost human. "_The divine dragon's champions are foolhardy if nothing else. Very well then, child of Naga; if you insist on playing the hero, then I will kill you first._"

Perhaps he should have shouted at Grima to take him instead or maybe even dart forward to push her out of the way and take the blow for himself, but neither his voice nor his legs seemed to want to obey him.

Dark spikes rose from the ground around Lucina and there was a loud explosion. Inigo instinctively covered his eyes and ducked his head to protect himself. When the dust and rubble settled down, the corridor was in complete shatters and Lucina was nowhere to be seen.

Grima turned one of it's many scarlet eyes on him. _"The Exalted line ends with her. I will allow you to live this time, puny human. No matter, it won't be long before you join her in the afterworld._" With these parting words, it left as abruptly as it appeared. Shock kept him frozen in place, but he forced himself to recover and half ran, half stumbled over to where the princess had been standing.

"Lucina!" He found her half-buried under a pile of debris and still bleeding from Grima's attack. Lucina, who dealt with her father's death and the disappearances of her mother and brother with iron resolve and stepped up to lead when they needed a leader the most, had never looked so fragile, reminding him that she was as human as the rest of them. _No...please gods, no...she's not dead. She _can't_ be dead. I already lost Mother and Father, I can't lose her too..._

Inigo cleared the debris away enough to move her away from the wreckage. Gently placing her on the floor again but keeping her upright with an arm behind her shoulders, he noticed that she was still breathing, but just barely.

She opened her eyes, the brand so clearly visible in her left. "In...Inigo? Are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here," he replied softly, "I'll get you a healer, so save your strength."

"No...it's over for me..."

"Don't say that." Shaking his head, Inigo looked around desperately for Brady. Where was he? Or Laurent, for that matter. Or Cynthia. Or...dammit, someone, _anyone_ with a staff! Lucina couldn't die! She just...couldn't. His mother and father already had died protecting him, he didn't want to be the cause of her death as well.

But no one else was there. He couldn't even hear the sounds of battle that should have been occurring on the courtyard and lower floors anymore. It was as though only the two of them were left in this gods forsaken world. Lucina reached up to weakly touch the hand on her shoulder.

"Take Falchion and summon Naga like we planned," she breathed, "go back in time and save this world..._please_."

"I..." He was crying now. Gods dammit, he never wanted her to see him like this. "I will, Lucina...I promise. I will." He didn't know how much he believed his words, didn't know how much of it he truly meant and how much was said only so she could die with some scintilla of hope.

"Good," she closed her eyes with a smile, "I believe in you."

Her hand slipped and fell limply by her side.

* * *

"Inigo? _Inigo_! Wake up!"

He woke up in a cold sweat in his tent. Someone was standing over and roughly shaking him. Blinking the sleep and tears out of this eyes, it took him a while to recognize who it was.

"Lucina?" Images from his nightmares flashed before his eyes – being cornered by Grima, Lucina saving him by drawing Grima's attention onto herself, Lucina dying in his arms while there was nothing he could do to save her. "Oh, gods...Lucina. You're alive..."

"Of course I am," she said, sounding confused. "Are you..." she shook her head, "stupid question. Of course you're not alright."

"Can I hold you for a moment, my love?" he whispered, inwardly hating himself for sounding so pathetic because of nightmare.

"What? Oh...of course." She lay down next to him and, after a bit of turning, decided that she was the most comfortable in a position with her back to him. He couldn't see her face like this, but it didn't matter to him at the moment. Burying his face into her hair by the nape of her neck and breathing in her scent was enough to assure him that she was there, alive and safe in his arms.

Lucina rubbed circles on the back of his hands comfortingly. "Do you want to talk about it?" Judging by his earlier words to her, she could have guessed what he was dreaming about, but didn't dare say it aloud.

"I dreamt I lost you forever." He confessed. "Grima was there." He felt her shudder against him at the name of the fell dragon. "It had me cornered. You showed up, but..."

She brought one of his hands to her lips and kissed it. "It was only a dream, Inigo," she assured him, "don't worry. I promise to remain by your side as long as you need me."

_I know..._ he thought to himself. _I'm no knight Lucina, but I swear I will protect you with my life. No one is going to die because of me ever again._

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	12. Genderswap

**Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
**Beta**: N/A  
**Prompt**: Genderswap  
**Word Count**: 2,255  
**Notes**: College has started, but I already had part of this written out beforehand and there were also no lab sessions in the first week (considering how I'm in science, I have a lot of them...) so I've had time to finish it.

I personally had lots fun with this one. One thing though: this isn't actually a _Genderswap_, but rather a _Role Reversal – _although you can _probably_ switch the names/pronouns around and change a few lines of dialogue as needed and it'll still be _quasi_-workable? – I just liked this idea a little more than an actual genderbending, either by AU or by curse.

In other words, this **one** chapter is a post-_Future Past_ AU where Inigo is the son of Chrom and Robin while Lucina is Olivia's daughter. Change their hair colors as appropriately. Or not, since I have no control over what you see in your heads.

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It was a lovely morning in Ylisse. Sunlight streamed through the windows of the castle, including the one where the haildom's young ruler was dozing atop a pile of paperwork. Unfortunately for him, as lovely as the morning was, it did not deem it appropriate that the exalt sleep his day away, no matter how tired (or bored) he was from staying up nearly all night trying to go though the many stacks of papers that were heaped neatly on his desk.

A loud knock on the door jolted the young man awake. He was momentarily confused by the sunlight lighting up his deary study – wasn't the only source of light in this room emitting from the now completely burnt out candle on his desk five seconds ago? – before hastily plucking the parchment that was stuck to his face and told his visitor to come in.

"You have a visitor, milord," a soldier reported with a respectful bow of his head, "shall I let her in?"

"Her?" Knowing Cynthia and Severa had an occasionally annoying tendency to barge into his workspace without so much as a knock, he wondered who it could be. "Oh, yes. Please do."

The soldier was just about to bow out of the room before he hesitantly spoke again while pointing to his left cheek. "Pardon my frankness sire, but you have an ink stain right here."

The blue-haired man sighed and rubbed his eyes, hoping his visitor wasn't here to discuss something regarding one of the many, _many_ documents because, odds are, he hadn't even got around reading it.

"Hello Inigo."

"Lucina!" Any drowsiness he still felt vanished at once. Five years ago, he would've asked himself why just the sight of her could brighten up his day, but now that he was older and wiser (comparatively, at least), he knew why.

She held up the bouquet of Ylissian irises she was holding. "Cynthia told me you've been swamped with paperwork. I thought I could bring you something to help brighten up your day."

"Thank you," he took the flowers from her, holding them close enough for him to breathe in their fragments. He just wished he had something to keep them in as nearly all the ceramic vases in the castle had been shattered during the war. "Take a seat," he invited, carefully placing the flowers atop the papers he was using as a pillow a minute ago, "make yourself comfortable."

"But won't I be intruding on your work?"

"Not at all," he assured her, "to be honest, I think I could use a respite."

"In that case..." She sat down in the chair opposite his that was usually occupied by officials leading the various reconstructions taking place in Ylisse. They sat there for a while, staring at each other, before Inigo decided to break the ice with the girl in the way he knew best.

"Is it just me or have you gotten lovelier since the day we last met? You certainly are a sight for sore eyes."

"I see the silver has yet to be rubbed off your tongue, your highness," Lucina observed dryly. She gave the contents of his desk a one over, "although you may not be jesting about the sore eyes."

"That I am not," he replied, "but in all seriousness, it _is_ nice to see you. How have things been going for you?"

"I've been good. Not much has changed since our last meeting," she answered, but the bright smile she was wearing implied it was an understatement.

"That's it? No juicy details?" Inigo joked, "it must be something particularly special if you're practically glowing."

She laughed, "Well... you're right about that. Do you remember me telling you about the theater my mother dreamed of building?"

"With fly lofts and trapdoors and a huge proscenium arch? Yes, I remember."

"Brady and I pooled our money together," she was practically bursting with excitement now as she spoke of Olivia's dream theater, "and we think we have enough to build it!"

"Wow Lucina. I'm..." he breathed. One of the best things about bringing peace back into the world was watching his friends fulfill the life dreams they never could have with Grima around. Hearing that Lucina will be fulfilling hers was worth killing a thousand fell dragons alone. As for him, before he came into possession of Falchion, he's never considered that he would one day have to run an entire country. He was always willing to take up arms in defense of his realm, not unlike his father before him, but actually ruling? His younger brother Morgan had always seemed to be the better prince for the task; when Inigo was shyly hiding behind their mother's skirts, Morgan was out making friends with everybody and anybody. But Morgan wasn't here so the task of ruling Ylisse in the light of the Grima's defeat fell into Inigo's lap as a result.

Being the Exalt certainly wasn't his childhood ambition, but he will do it for the sake of Ylisse and all those who have been there for him and supported him unconditionally when he first found himself being unexpectedly thrust into the responsibilities of leadership. "I'm really happy for you. Congratulations. Is it too early to be reserving a ticket for your grand opening?"

"I'll be sure to set one aside for you when the time comes." She gazed at him with something that he might have mistaken for affection, "but enough about me. How has overseeing the rebuilding been going for you?"

"The rebuilding itself has been going quite well if I may say so," he replied honestly, gesturing towards all the paperwork, "but I haven't been able to get out at all. It's not that I don't trust Cynthia and her pegasus knights with my safety, but I kind of miss swinging a sword for defense instead of being encircled by pegasi and lances."

"I thought being surrounded by the fairer sex would be the last thing you would complain about," Lucina pointed out with a humorous gleam in her eyes. "and it's not like you'll run out of bodyguards anytime soon. I hear Cynthia's been getting more applications than she could manage."

"A year ago, maybe," Inigo replied, "but now that I'm over it, it's almost kind of irritating."

Lucina raised an eyebrow, "are you saying Ylisse's _infamous_ womanizer of a prince is retiring?"

"Yes, Lucina. That's exactly what I'm saying," he confirmed with an eye roll, "When I smile at girls these days, they'll smile back without the need of a terrible pickup line. That alone is good enough for me. Besides, I'm the Exalt now, I shouldn't be fooling around anymore."

"Well...good for you," she sounded impressed that he had given so much thought and effort in rectifying that part of himself, "the philandering isn't going to win you any respect from–hey, _wait a minute_," she scrutinized him suspiciously, "if you gave up on the womanizing, then why did you just flirt with _me_ today?"

Inigo froze. Oh gods, he had really screwed up with that hadn't he? He sighed and ran a hand though his hair. "Well, about that... Lucina, there's something I have to confess." Was he really doing this? "I was utterly terrified for you when you and the others went to Plegia." Yes, he was doing this.

Lucina tilted her head to one side, not seeing where this was going.

"I worried about the others yes, but _you_ were the one I was the most afraid for. I hadn't had any time to think about why back then, but I've had plenty of time recently and now... I think I know why."

"...Why?" she asked quietly.

"Lucina, I..." He swallowed. There was no backing out now. "I'm in love with you." There, he said it. Now all he had to do was wait for her response. About a hundred different scenarios – all of which ended with her rejecting him – popped up in his mind in rapid succession.

"Really?" was her disbelieving murmur, "You're not just... saying that?"

"No," he replied firmly, "I'm completely serious, Lucina. I'd understand if you don't feel the same way about me. I mean, this _is_ rather sudden, I know. No matter how you feel about me, I will always be your friend. That I can promise."

Silence fell across the room again. Lucina leaned forward and took his hands.

"I've...actually liked you for quite some time now," she admitted at least, cheeks pink and her lips forming a smile, "but I thought the prince of Ylisse wouldn't want to associate himself with a common dancer girl. That and I never would've thought that you would ever want to settle down with one woman."

"I think I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the last part," Inigo muttered with a sigh, but the truth was, if he were to die right now, he would die a very happy man. "And give yourself some credit; you're not a 'common dancer girl', not any more. I may have been the one to land the final blow on Grima, but I couldn't have done it without you or any of the others. I'd say one of the Twelve Heroes is more than able to stand on equal footing with a prince." He smirked, "but if anyone is foolish enough to imply otherwise, they'll find out that than fourteen months behind a desk has not dulled my skills with a blade one bit." She grinned back at him despite herself. "So what do you say, Lucina? Once things settle down, will you give me a chance?"

"I..." She suddenly licked her thumb and reached out to rub his cheek with it. He could have sworn electricity had sparked where their skin made contact. "Sorry," she apologized when she pulled her hand away again, "you had an ink stain there."

"Thanks." He awkwardly touched the place where her hand had been. She was blushing and he was fairly certain that so was he.

"And yes," was Lucina's reply to his proposal, "I will give you a chance, but I should warn you: stray from me once and it's over."

"Are those your terms? Very well, I agree to them."

"'Terms'?" she repeated with some amusement, "shall we shake on it to make it official?"

"No, I was thinking we should seal the deal with this," He leaned over his desk, sending for than a few sheets of paper flying as he did so, and gently brushed his lips against her's. When he pulled away, he was slightly amused to see that the normally stoic dancer was almost red enough to rival Gules. "Deal?"

"Inigo...you...sometimes you can the most _infuriating_ man I have ever known," she told him, shaking her head, but there was no genuine anger in her voice and features. He simply smiled back like a child playing innocent despite having been caught misbehaving. "but yes, it's a deal. You have one chance. Don't blow it."

"I don't intend to," he laughed, "but thank you. Hearing that is just the kind of incentive I need to finish all this paperwork!" But when he looked at all the papers on his desk and floor again, his vigor deflated "...Oh gods that _is_ a lot of paperwork isn't it?." Lucina laughed and they both stood to gather the scattered documents.

"I'll wait as long as it takes," she promised when she handed him the last of the fallen papers, "besides, I still have a theater to build don't I?"

"Of course," Inigo agreed. She, and Olivia before her, has wanted this theater for years. Now that it was finally within her grasp, he didn't want her to hold back on his account. "I don't see the peace being shattered anytime soon. We'll have plenty of time after taking care our own matters."

"Yes Inigo, we–"

The study door was suddenly burst open accompanied by a loud and enthusiastic "Heya Inigo!"

Gritting his teeth, Inigo decided that Cynthia and Severa had an _always_ annoying tendency to barge into his workspace without so much as a knock.

"We just came to remind you– _Lucy_? What are you doing here?"

Taking a step back, as if trying to put as much distance between from herself and Inigo with that one action as possible, only to awkwardly stumble back into the chair she was occupying before, Lucina gave the two knights a nod, "Good morning Cynthia, Severa."

"Hello Lucina," Severa gave Lucina an odd look before speaking to Inigo, "sorry about the interruption; it wasn't that important anyway. Come on Cynthia," the mercenary turned pegasus knight whispered "let's give them their alone time, shall we?" while nudging her commander back out the door and taking care to close it completely behind them.

There was another silence following the two pegasus knights' departure.

"The entire castle's going to know by nightfall won't it?"

"Not even by nightfall Lucina, not even..."

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	13. In a different clothing style

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie  
******Prompt**: In a different clothing style  
******Word Count****:** 1,179  
******Notes**: A big thanks to ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie for beta-ing this on top of all the brainstorming she helped me with.

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Lucina stood under a tree watching the steam rise from the hot spring and into the sky in wonder. She was wearing the brand patterned yukata the merchants provided for her to wear during her stay in the Bathrealms and in her hands was the wood replica of her mask she had purchased from the souvenir shop.

"Dueling with unpleasant thoughts, are we?"

She had been so caught up in her thoughts – the relaxed and strangely nostalgic atmosphere of the hot springs didn't help her vigilance – she hadn't noticed Inigo had come up behind her. When she turned to face him however, she was momentarily taken aback by the fact that he was also wearing a yukata, though it was less colorfully patterned than her's. When he saw her expression, he winked, like there was some joke she wasn't aware of, and asked, "like what you see, Luce? I wore it just for you, you know." He paused to take in her appearance, "you're a lovely sight yourself if I may say so."

Lucina blushed at the complement and looked back at the item in her hands. Inigo followed her gaze.

"Is that...?"

"It is," she held out the mask, "I saw it in a souvenir shop. It's just a wood replica; I lost the real one in Ylisstol."

"So you bought it as a replacement?"

"Perhaps," she replied, "I may be in need of it soon."

Inigo frowned, "why's that?"

"I was able to have a talk with my mother during the battle," Lucina said, "she asked me about the mask as well and I told her I intend to live out my days in shadow if I were to stay in this time." This mask still felt brittle in her hands in comparison to her first one. "But look, I've haven't even had it for a day and it's already falling apart in my hands... I fear that it may not be able to conceal my loneliness in the coming years."

Inigo was silent as he contemplated her words. He finally let out a little _heh_ when he finished. When Lucina looked at him questioningly, he explained, "I actually had an opportunity to talk to Robin as well. I told her as much as I love my parents, I thought it best to leave once this was all over. It's only a matter of time before their real son is born, and you know what she said to me?"

"What did she say?" Lucina asked, curious.

"_After_ she told me in very explicit details what she would do to me if I ever mistreat you in any way, She told me I could come back whenever I'd like," he smiled, "I imagine she said something of that ilk to you?"

"She did," Lucina nodded. Hours after they had been spoken, her mother's words still made her heart clench. "I told her my presence by her side would cause confusion and dissent. After all, I have the brand don't I? Mother said she could think of something that will let me stay with her."

"There's a 'but' isn't there?" Inigo asked.

"You know me too well," she muttered, shaking her head, "I am the last person to doubt her tactical ability Inigo, but I don't want her to go though so much trouble for me, not when she's already given me so much since we were reunited... even though she isn't my real mother." Her real mother was Grima and as far as Lucina was concerned, her real mother was dead. Thinking of her real mother's fate made her think of her moment of weakness after the disastrous events in Plegia Castle, "even though there were times where I didn't deserve it..."

It wasn't until she felt him move to envelope her in a hug, did she realize that she was crying. She had wanted to when she first heard Robin's dedication to her plan, but for the sake of sparing her mother more worry, she had simply smiled and thanked her for everything she's done for her. She had been fine when she was in the springs with the other girls, fine while trying to hide her amusement when hearing Severa oscillate between complaining about and admiring her mother, fine when trying to comb out a particularly stubborn tangle in Nah's hair, but now everything was just spilling out of her and she couldn't stop herself.

Inigo simply held her as she cried her heart out, running his fingers soothingly through her hair. It wasn't until her sobs have finally died down did he ask, "all better now?"

She pulled away, wiping the last of the tears off her face as she did so. "I'm sorry, Inigo," she apologized, "I don't know what's gotten into me."

"Don't apologize," he replied, gently wiping away a stray tear she had missed, "I'd rather you let the tears out now and smile for real than see you trying to keep a fake one on for the sake of appearances."

She offered him a weak smile and, breathing out a small "thank you," leaned up to kiss him.

He responded to this kiss as he usually did, but she felt the mask being taken from her while she was distracted, followed by a sudden _splash_. Lucina pulled away and saw her mask floating in the spring behind her. When she looked back at Inigo, he was looking very pleased with himself.

"Before you start getting angry," he began, "I just want to say you don't need that mask to conceal your loneliness once this is all over, you know?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, baffled and a little peeved.

"Did I not promise to be the sword at your side for good and all?" Inigo asked with a smile, "even if you have to live the rest of your days in shadow, Lucina, you won't be alone. I'll be right beside you every step of the way. Perhaps neither of us will be able to stay with our parents, but at least we'll have each other. So... no more thoughts about being lonely for both of us, okay?"

"I..." she struggled to find something to say as his words had left her speechless. "I love you, Inigo," she decided at last, "I don't think I say it often enough."

He chuckled and brought her closer to him, burying his face into her hair. "I used to throw those words so carelessly around, Luce, but when I say that I love you too, I really mean it. Believe me."

Content to remain in his embrace for the rest of the night if time and circumstance allowed it, Lucina watched the wooden mask float feebly in the spring for a moment longer before finally sinking into its depths. "I believe you."

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Edit: 9/16/2013


	14. Arguing

******Author**: Rapis-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: Arguing  
******Word Count**: 1,367  
******Notes**: Some Olivia-Inigo mother-son bonding. For the record, there isn't an argument in this chapter, more like the aftermath of an argument.

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Five minutes after a conversation with her uncharacteristically sombre husband, Olivia found her way to the medical tent in concern. The person who she was searching for was still there, laying on one of the cots with one neatly bandaged leg stretched out and the other lightly kicking the ground below. When he heard her come in, he sat up, though still keeping his injured leg outstretched.

"Mother?"

Olivia rushed to her son's side. "Are you alright?" she asked, "Henry told me you hurt your leg in battle today."

"I'm fine," Inigo replied with a shrug, "Brady patched me up. He said I'll be as good as new in no time." Even as he said this, he too seemed unusually melancholic. Sighing, the rose-haired dancer gently ruffled his hair, the same color as his father's.

"Are you still thinking about what happened between you and Henry?" she asked gently. His injury wasn't the only thing that prompted her worry. "He was really worried about you."

"He told you?" Inigo sighed, "I'm not surprised. He could never seem to keep anything a secret from you."

Olivia laughed lightly, "I don't think that Henry is bad at keeping secrets from me," she said, "It's more like the fact that he is incredibly truthful most of the time _and_ that it's pretty easy to tell when something is troubling him."

The tips of Inigo's lips twitched, as if he was trying not to laugh at his father's expense. "Fair enough, Mother." He shook his head. "But no...I'm not really thinking about that...well, actually I am, but something else too."

"Is that so?" Olivia raised an eyebrow, "Do you want to talk? I am your mother. Maybe I can help."

There was a brief flash of emotion in Inigo's eyes. "You used to do this back in my time too," he said quietly, "Whenever something was troubling me, you would offer to talk."

"Oh." Though she already accepted him as her child, Olivia was still getting used to the idea that she has raised, or rather, _will raise_, him in the future.

"You know what happened between me and father," Inigo began, "but a few days ago, Lucina said nearly the same thing to me."

"Lucina?" Olivia thought of Robin's navy-haired daughter. The princess from the future was so driven and serious to a fault, Olivia could imagine that she would be easily annoyed by Inigo's perpetual cheeriness.

"...I just wanted to see her smile again, just as she used to..." by this point, Inigo seemed to be off in his own little world. Still, Olivia listened to every word that came out of his mouth. He spoke so fondly of her, so different from how he usually talked about the random village maids he attempted to woo, that she started to wonder.

"...but I guess with everything weighing down on her, it wasn't meant to be."

"Tell me, Inigo," the dancer began timidly, knowing she was about in step in very dangerous waters, "do you...love her?"

Inigo didn't reply at once.

"Yes," he said softly, the melancholy look becoming one of wistful longing, "I've always liked her since the day we met." He smiled as he recalled the memory. "It was the first time you and Father took me to Castle Ylisse. I got lost and she helped me find you. I haven't told you that story yet, have I?"

"No, you haven't," Olivia shook her head. She was curious to know what happened in that particular day in his life, but now wasn't the time. Then she frowned when she thought of something. "But wait... if you always liked Lucina, then why do you flirt so much with other women?"

"Well...it started out with me taking your advice," Olivia cringed at the thought of that. When the present day version of Inigo is born, she will definitely _not_ mention Maribelle's 'shock therapy' idea to him. _Ever_. "I thought if I can learn to talk to other girls, then maybe one day I'll be brave enough to tell her how I feel, but when I got older I realized... even though she's always treated me as an equal, she's still _royalty _and I'm...not. She deserves so much better than a sellsword." Inigo sighed again, almost deeply enough to rival one of Cordelia's. "After that, I just kept on flirting, hoping it was just a phase I'll get over one day, but nope. My feelings for her haven't changed. If anything, they only got stronger."

"Oh Inigo," Olivia had no idea what to make of this newest revelation. Seeing the sadness in her son's eyes brought her pain too. She wanted to make him feel better, and, being close friends with Lucina's mother, she thinks she knows how to begin. "But you know what? I think you're forgetting a very crucial detail."

"I am?"

"Ylissian nobles didn't approve of Lucina's mother at first, you know?" Olivia said in a matter-of-fact tone. It was a fairly well known fact among the Shepherds that were present during the wedding, so she doesn't think Robin would be angry at her for telling this to Inigo. "They argued that she was an amnesiac with no memory of who she was before Chrom found her. For all they knew, she could have been a spy or a criminal from another country."

"Um... okay?" He wasn't getting the point she wanted to make.

"But it didn't stop Chrom from marrying Robin did it?" She smiled encouragingly and hoped the advice she was about to give him wouldn't turn out the same why as the one her future self did before, "If Lucina is anything like her father, she won't care if you were a mercenary or the son of a noble, so don't let her titles and heritage scare you into hiding your feelings. Isn't it better to tell her and be rejected than stay silent and wonder what could have been?"

Inigo gazed down at his hands. "Perhaps," he said, "but if she rejects me, I imagine a good cry and a day of sulking won't be able to fix it."

_Yes that is true_, Olivia thought. The last thing she wanted to see was a broken heart, but she didn't want him to miss out on this chance either. "Falling in love with someone will always put your heart in a vulnerable place," she said carefully. "Heartbreak will always be a risk, but ask yourself: is she worth that risk?"

There was anouther moment of silence as Inigo mulled over her words. What he did next was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one. He reached out and hugged her. Briefly stunned, but recovering quickly, Olivia hugged him back.

"Yes," he said with a grin when he pulled back, but still holding her shoulders. "Yes, she is worth it. I _will_ tell her, but not until this war is over. Thank you, Mother."

"Anytime sweetheart," It felt so strange to give her son advice concerning matters of the heart before she's even had the opportunity to hold him as a baby. Regardless, it was still gratifying to know that she could be here for him, especially knowing that in some other time she had left him to fend for himself. She felt happy by making him happy. Is this what it feels like to be a mother? She didn't give birth to him, but she knew in her heart that she would fight anyone like an angered grizzly bear if they intended to do him harm. If it was, then this was a feeling she could get used to.

Seeing that her son was back to his usual disposition, Olivia giggled and lightly tousled his hair again. "After all, if do you marry Lucina one day, I will become sisters with my best friend!"

"_Mom!_"

"Teehee... Sorry. I guess it _is_ a little too early to be thinking of that, isn't it?"

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**A/N**: There was a moment of hilarious in hindsight during my first playthrough that permanently cemented Olivia and female!Robin as BFFs in my headcanon. I imagine them being all gushy when Inigo and Lucina announce that they're together while Chrom and Henry throw death threats around like confetti.

Speaking of playthroughs, I'm thinking about starting a Chrom Solo this Friday (three day weekend, yay!). That should be fun.


	15. During their morning rituals

******Author**: Rapiz-Razuri  
******Beta**: N/A  
******Prompt**: During their morning rituals  
******Word Count**: 1,686  
******Notes**: Between chapters 20 and 21. And holy crap, this is the halfway point! Yay!

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The war with Valm was over, but there was still a dark threat looming before them. The Shepherds had returned to Ylisstol to prepare for the upcoming war with the fell dragon and to search for the fifth and final gemstone Sable.

Knowing that Grima was slowly gaining power in this era had put the time travelers (including Morgan even though he remembered nothing of their dire future) on edge to the point of each of them (including Yarne, who had approached Kjelle for her assistance) undertaking a rigorous training schedule of their own that would have put Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour to shame just to reassure themselves of their skills. Everything rested on this. Either they failed or they succeeded and they all knew failure must not be an option.

One morning found Lucina and Inigo in one of the training fields with their practice swords drawn. It was still early, the sun had just barely risen, but both were breathing heavily and their shirts soaked through with sweat, indicating that they're been there for quite some time.

Against someone who didn't know Inigo's techniques, the sheer unpredictability of his quick, flighty movements taught to him by a professional dancer rather than an experienced swordsman would have seen his enemy defeated in seconds. Lucina, however, was not 'someone'. She has watched him fight many times over, both beside him in battle and against him in training. On the other hand, what advantage she had in knowing his tricks was voided by the fact that he also knew _hers_ just as well.

They matched each others strikes, blow for blow, until Lucina realized his last attack had left a gap in his defenses. They've been sparring for a long time now and it was starting to show. Seizing this chance, she moved forward to strike with a new technique she had been working on with her mother. She hasn't had a chance to try it out with an opponent before, so between this and becoming aware of her own fatigue, she knew she was making a gamble. Still, it was better for her to first try it during a practice bout with Inigo, who would never hurt her intentionally if she _did_ mess up, then in an actual battle where there would be much more at stake.

Inigo's weapon flew out of his hands and he quickly found himself on the ground with the tip of a practice sword at his throat as the skill's trademark petals drifted down upon him and disappeared before they touched the ground.

"I yield milady," Inigo groaned, "there's nothing like starting the day off with getting knocked flat on my back."

She moved her weapon away from him. "Sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you."

He propped himself up on his left hand and used the right to rub the back of his head. "Nothing permanent. Don't worry, Luce, I can handle much more than this. I wasn't expecting that last attack. Did Robin teach it to you?"

Lucina grinned and nodded. "Yes. Though I have to admit such a skill is better suited for her and my brother. They are much more skilled in the magic arts than I am."

"Still, it was pretty impressive," Inigo complemented. "You win _this_ one, but the next time we do this, don't think I'll be falling for it twice."

"We'll just have to see about that won't we?" She offered him a hand to help him back up. When he took it however, she only had a split second worth of a warning as he grinned mischievously before he gave it a tug, bringing her down to the ground on top of him. "Gya!"

He smirked and swiftly brushed their lips together. "But for now, I'll take that as my consolation prize," he whispered against her mouth. She blushed, but grinned down at him all the same.

Inigo huffed and laid down completely on the ground. There was some silence before he spoke. "This place brings back a lot of memories, huh?"

Lucina sat back on her heels, though she was still straddling him, and looked around. When she caught sight of a familiar pillar, she could almost see a young, silver haired boy cowering behind it. "Yes," she murmured, a small smile on her face. "This was where we first met, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Inigo laughed, "Now that I think back on it, it was a pretty eventful day. Remember how mad Laurent was when we made him drop his books?"

"He had them all stacked by author and subject too," Lucina added, nodding. "What about Cynthia's tea party?"

"How can I forget?" he made a face at the memory of the awful tasting 'tea' that was served. "I didn't realize until later that Gerome's been dumping everything in the plant pot when she wasn't looking." There was a pause as he thought of anouther case of mischief they got into that day. "We helped Owain hide Lon'qu's sword in the pegasus stable, didn't we? Whatever happened to it?"

"Sumia found it when she went to attend to her pegasus." she answered. Inigo had already departed for home when those events unfolded. "She saw the words 'I Love Lissa' on it so she figured it belonged to him."

Inigo snickered, "I wonder if Lon'qu started doing that now?"

Lucina giggled at the thought. The stoic swordsman was never the type for open displays of affection, but having his wife's name inscribed on his sword spoke volumes. She gently poked him in the ribs, "Its so hard to believe that you used to be so shy."

He did a horrible job at pretending to look offended. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean," Lucina replied with a cheeky grin. "Remember how your first reaction upon seeing a woman was to hide and shrink away? Not flirt with her until she slaps you?"

"Oh sure, remind me of that," Inigo retorted, running a hand though his hair. "I admit they intimidated me at first. A bit. _You_ intimidated me the most, actually. Not Kjelle or Severa."

"Hm, really? I never thought of myself as intimidating before," she said thoughtfully, "but you don't think so anymore?"

In response, he grinned again and reversed their positions in one fluid motion so she was lying on the ground beneath him. "Not anymore, princess," he teased, "I'm a changed man."

"We've all changed, Inigo," Lucina replied, "maybe not for the better, but we've all changed."

He closed his eyes. "We have," he said more solemnly. "Everything had, when...when our parents died. They were war heroes. We grew up on tales on their struggles and accomplishments and thought they were invincible."

Lucina swallowed. She had thought so too, but now she knew better. She _wished_ Chrom was invincible. Then he might have survived when he had been betrayed by his closest friend, whomever that friend was, as the story goes. Since coming back here, she's watched them all with suspicion, trying to figure out who was likely the one who betrayed him. That had been one of the reasons why she was so anxious to reunite with the people who came back in time with her. She couldn't trust anyone from this era, knowing one of them may one day stab her father in the back, and it was a terribly lonely feeling.

Inigo was staring at the pillar he hid behind during their first meeting again. "I wonder if our nightmares will go away if we succeeded?"

She recalled the night where she had heard him thrashing and muttering in his sleep when she walked by his tent. "There's no 'if', Inigo." she replied, "we have to."

"I want to protect this place as much as you do." Turning away from the pillar, he focusing his intense gaze back on her and lightly pressed his forehead against her's. "I have a lot of memories here...the clearest ones are the most unpleasant, but there were many happy, if fainter, ones too. Mostly ones shared with you and the others."

"You and the others were the reason why I've been able to hold strong for as long as I did," Lucina admitted in all honestly, "Without you guys, I doubt I would have been able to make it." He chuckled lightly.

"Funny. I could say the same thing about you."

"Mother always did say it's the invisible ties we forged and strengthened that makes us strong." she mused, reflecting on Robin's words during her first sea voyage, "There is only so much one person can do on their own, but together, we are so much stronger."

"I never thought of you as the philosophical type."

"I suppose it was unavoidable with having a tactician for a mother and brother," she joked in response.

"Well, whatever," Inigo said, "I'm just glad I had the chance to forge those ties with you; even if it _was_ in an apocalyptic hellscape."

"I am too," she murmured in agreement. Somewhat hesitantly, she titled her head up to bridge the gap between their lips. A small part of her, the part that was always vigilant of her surroundings regardless of what she was doing, like feverishly kissing her lover, for instance, was aware that the sun was up now. How long have they been out here training? The others must be waking up now.

In fact...

"_Ahem_."

Lucina and Inigo broke apart and looked up from their positions on the ground to see a very irritated Kjelle glaring down at them in her training armor with a panting and red-faced Yarne behind her.

"Look guys, I'm really happy for you and all, but could you at _least_ do all this mushy garbage where other people don't have to watch?"

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